The Icon dipped into www.BlufftonForever.com in search of Christmas-themed content and discovered that Santa once lived in Bluffton:
"Lazarus 'Lotzy' Basinger, (also known as Santa Claus) [was] a familiar face in the Bluffton crowd over his 90-year life span. Here is his story pieced together by the Bluffton Forever staff.
According to Ancestry.com, the name Luginbuhl has its roots in South German (Luginbühl) as a topographic name meaning 'to watch or (lie in) wait' + bühel 'hillock.'
If you are or know a Bluffton and Pandora-area Luginbuhl, check out ForeverBluffton.com for an account of the family tree of Bluffton-Pandora Swiss pioneers Christian John and Katherine Steiner Luginbuhl.
Three books with Bluffton themes are on sale--providing a special holiday gift buying opportunity. The books are edited by local author Fred Steiner and have been featured in the Bluffton Icon.
• Bluffton Anthology – A Creek Runs Through It, essays on a small Ohio town
• The Bluffton We Never Knew – Photographs from our first half century – 1861-1911
• A Good Place To Miss – Bluffton Stories 1900-1975
Bluffton Anthology is available in seven Bluffton businesses while supplies last:
The Swiss Community Historical Society has repurposed this Christmas card originally sent by George Bixel as the invitation to the 2021 Christmas Open House at the Schumacher Homestead.
2021 Veterans Day reminders of its origin marking the hour when fighting stopped in the Great War/World War I--11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month--had the Icon searching for photos from 1918.
These photos from Bluffton University's online Memory Collection show Bluffton University students with the day's headlines and marching with an American flag.
A Facebook viewer recently asked the Swiss Community Historical Society (SwissHistorical.org) for information on Bluffton's original Cherry Street Bridge.
Another viewer responded with these dates: The original bridge was built c. 1890 by the Canton Bridge Co.; rehabilitated in 1982; and replaced in 2004.
More details and more bridges can be viewed at Bridgehunter.com.
